Supporting-bracket for lamps.



L. SCHEPMOES.

SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-30.1915.

Patented July 3, 1917.

3 $HEETS-SHEET l- 1w TOR r ATT mm,

ZZZ; "@M M L. SCHEPMOES.

SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.30,19I5- 1,231,947. Patented July 3,1917.

3 SHEETS SHEET 2.

A TTOR/VEK L. SCHEPMOES.

SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.30,1915.

1,231 ,947. Patented July 3, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Illllllll/IIIIIII.rllllllllllllllllln WITNE$5E5 UNITED STATES PATENTonnioa.

LINDSLEY SGHEPMOES, 0F HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NEXV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THESAFETY CAR HEATING & LIGHTING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWSUPPORTING-BRACKET FOR LAMPS.

Application filed September 30, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINDSLEY Sonnrarons, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hasbrouck Heights, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSupporting-Brackets for Lamps, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to railway vehicles and, particularly, to novelmeans for supporting the light-fixtures and other associated parts.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to providea simple, cheap, strong and inexpensive means, adapted to the modernrailway-cars, for supporting light-fixtures and coeperating andassociated parts, without strain upon or 1n ury to the ceiling orroof-structure of said yehicles; to provide means by which thelightfixture and socket-support may be independently and detachablysecured to a common support, so as to enable said members to be carriedwithout strain uponthe car ceil ing; and to provide a simple andefiective structure wherein the socket-support, lightfixture andjunction-box can be associated by independent means enablinginstallation, inspection and repair to be conducted easily, quickly andeffectively.

With the above objects in view, and others which will be detailed duringthe course of this description, my invention consists in the parts,features, elements and combinations thereof hereinafter described andclaimed.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, 1 have provideddrawings wherein:'

Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section of the roof of a ear, takenon the line 11 of Fig. 2, showing features of construction embodying myinvention, the view being curtailed by breaking the same at severalpoints; i

Fig. 2 is a bottom-plan view of Fig. 1, taken substantially on the line22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4: is a sectional detail substantially on the line 4.4: of Fig. 1;0

Fig. 5 shows a form of my invention in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Serial no. 53,247.

sectional elevation of certain details, difiering from the form thereofshown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a form of invention in the matter ofcertain details, differing from the form thereof shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 1indicates the roof of the car, 2 the ceiling and 3 the carlines, thelatter being shown as substan tially U-shaped in cross-section andarranged so as to enable the closed sides 4: thereof to be utilizedas. asustaining means for the supportingplate 5, the opposite ends 6 of whichare upturned at an angle to the base thereof so as to cooperate with theclosed sides of the carlines, through which latter and the said upturnedends 6 a headed bolt 7 is passed whereby to secure the parts rigidlytogether, as by jam and checknuts 8. By this means, the supporting-plate5 is rigidly held in place so as to relieve the car ceiling of allstrain, resulting from heavy fixtures depending therefrom, and suchstrain is thrown upon the roof-structure, which is strong and rigid andwhich is given its support by the usual means. including the car lines 3and the furring 3 The ornamental casing or frame of the light-fixture isshown at 9 and is removably secured to the supporting-plate 5 by screws10, passing through lugs 11, secured to a suitable portion of the frame9, and passing through the ceiling2, and threaded into thesupporting-plate 5, any number of said screws 10 being employed as maybe found necessary or desirable, four being shown in the presentinstance, see Fig. 2. Thus the light-fixture is held firmly against theceiling and no strain is imposed upon the latter. The socket-support ortube 12 depends centrally within the fixture 9, and extends through theceiling 2 and the supportingplate 5, and is threaded into a nipple 13,of a plate 14, secured by means of screws 15 to the bottom of thejunction-box 16, the bottom of which is provided with an opening closed,in great measure, by the plate 1%, and through which opening and thecenter of the plate and the tube 12 the leads to the sockets of theparticular light-cluster are extended.

from the cable or group of leads which are passed through and housedwithin the conduit 17, joined to the opposite ends of'the junction-box16. Preferably, at the point where the junction-box is connected to thesupporting-plate 5, the latter and the ceiling are apertured so as toenable the screws 15 and nipple-plate 14 to be readily placed andremoved. The junction-box, see Figs. 2 and 3, is connected to thesupporting-plate 5, by means of cars 18, and screws or short bolts 19,two being found to be sufiicient forthe purpose, and said ears extendingfrom the opposite sides of the junction-box substantially at aright-angle to the conduits 17.

Viewing Fig. 3, it will be seen that the lugs 11, through which thescrews 10 pass, are provided with a bore of two different dimensions,the lowerportion of the bore being adapted to receive the head 20 of thescrew 10 and the upper portion of the bore being adapted to receive thebody of the screw 10, while the shoulder 21, between the twobore-portions, is adapted to be engaged by a spring lock-washer 22',forced thereagainst by the head of the screw 10. Thus,

when the screw is passed upwardly through the lug 11 and into thesupporting-plate 5 its head will tightly clamp the lock-washer againstthe shoulder 21, so that the spring quality of the washer will beutilized to frictionally hold the screw from turning in the plate 5. Thelight-fixture is thusfirmly held in place against the ceiling andprevented from shaking loose under the shocks and jars resulting fromthe running of the car. This structure is of importance in my inventionsince it involves the several valuable practical functions above notedand, at the same time, constitutes the sole detachable support for thelight-fixture when com bined with the supporting-plate, and isindependent of the supporting means for socket-support. It will beunderstood that, while I 116 ve shown herein screws and cooperatingparts ofspecialform for my purposes, and which have been found effectiveand suflicient, I do not wish to be limited to the details ofconstruction shown, since several changes in details can be made withoutdeparting from either the spirit or prin ciple of my invention, andinvolving only mechanical skill. In other words, the importance of thisfeature of my invention re sides in the fact that it is a suliieient andeffective fastening and. support for the light-fixture when combinedwiththesupporting-plate in any suitable manner and relieves theceilingof all strain or stress which might be imposed thereon if any part ofthe connecting and supporting means were applied to the ceiling of thecar in any manner whatever. v

Viewing Fig. 4, it will be seen that the extensions 6 of thesupporting-plate 5' are slotted vertically for the passage of theconduits 17; and, upon viewing Fig. 6, it will be seen that the carlines8 may be extended downwardly considerably, as indicated by 3*, so as toenable the ceiling of the car to rest thereagainst, or be securedthereto, as a brace'and support. In this form of my invention, theconduits 17 will pass through the carline, as clearly indicated at 24:,and the supporting beams 3'" are discarded.

In Fig. 5, I have shown another form of my invention for securing thetube 12 in position and, therein, it will be seen that the nipple-plate14f issecureddirectly against.

the ceiling 2 by means of'the, screws 15 passing through the plate andthe ceiling, and threaded into-the supporting-plate 5. In this form ofmy invention, the supporting-plate becomes the holding medium for thetube 12 and parts supported thereby, and the junction-box is in nomanner interfered-witlnor tapped for the purpose.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the junction-box is detachablysecured to the supporting-plate 5 by the means 18 and 19; that thelight-fixture is detachably secured to the supporting-plate 5 by themeans 10 and 11: and that the socket-support 12 is, detachably securedto the supportingplate indirectly, Fig. 1, by the nipple-plate 14 andscrews 15 entering the bottom of the junction-box, and directly, in Fig.5, by the nipple-plate 14 and screws 15* passing through the ceilinginto said plate. All of these means for securing the respective parts tothe supporting-plate 5 are independent the one of the others, and,thereby, the very desirable advantages are secured of enablinginstallations to be made without hindrance or interference :with thelightfixture andsocket-support, and permitting the removal of thesocket-support and lightfixtures for inspection and repairs.Moreover,'the light-fixture can be removed with out compelling theremoval of the socketsupport.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with theca-rlines of a vehicle, a supporting-plateconnected thereto, a junction-box connected to the plate above the same,an ornamental fixture removably secured to the plate, a lead-tubeextending within the figure and through the plate, and means holdingsaid tube-in cooperative relation to the junction-box.

2. In combination with the carlines of a vehicle, a supporting-plateconnected to said carlines and provided with an aperture thereln, ajunction-box supported onthe plate and having an aperture in the bottomthereof registering with the aperture in the and passing throughthesupporting-plate,

a lead-tube arranged in cooperative relation to the said two apertures,a nipple-plate connected to the lead-tube, and means for supporting thenipple-plate in place.

3. In combination with the roof of a Vehiele, a supporting-plate andmeans for securing the same to said roof; a junctionboX supported onsaid supporting-plate; a

fixture casing supported on said supportingplate; a socket-supportsupported on said 10 LINDSLEY SOHEPMOES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

